This watchdog blog, by journalist Norman Oder, offers analysis, commentary, and reportage about the $4.9 billion project to build the Barclays Center arena and 16 high-rise buildings at a crucial site in Brooklyn. Dubbed Atlantic Yards by developer Forest City Ratner in 2003, it was rebranded Pacific Park in 2014 after the Chinese government-owned Greenland Group bought a 70% stake in 15 towers. New York State still calls it Atlantic Yards. Contact: AtlanticYardsReport[at]hotmail.com

The article had huge gaps, as I indicated on Twitter. I tried to post a comment on the Times's web site, but it was rejected, presumably for technical reasons. (And after I tried to re-post fairly quickly, it may have triggered a filter.)

Here it is:

This article fails to offer serious scrutiny of the EB-5 program and its application in Vermont.

Nor is there mention of Stenger's savings: the value of a low-interest loan via EB-5 versus how much such financing would cost on the market. That should be factored into the public policy equation: the savings to the developer/entrepreneur vs. the perceived public benefit from new jobs/tax revenues.

As for whether the visa program allows rich foreigners to jump the line, Stenger's a rather self-serving authority. Of course, they're buying their way into the country.

Analysts like Michael Sandel think that's bad enough. Given that countries like Canada and Australia have somewhat similar programs, it's understandable why the U.S. competes.

One key difference: programs in Canada and Australia have the would-be immigrants buy plain vanilla government bonds, thus avoiding the Rube Goldberg-like EB-5 program, which generates big sums to the middlemen--lawyers, overseas brokers--and big savings to the entrepreneur.